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    On Conan Doyle: Or, The Whole Art of Storytelling
    On Conan Doyle: Or, The Whole Art of Storytelling
    On Conan Doyle: Or, The Whole Art of Storytelling
    Ebook208 pages3 hours

    On Conan Doyle: Or, The Whole Art of Storytelling

    By Michael Dirda

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    About this ebook

    From Pulitzer Prize–winning critic Michael Dirda, a delightful introduction to the creator of Sherlock Holmes

    A passionate lifelong fan of the Sherlock Holmes adventures, Pulitzer Prize–winning critic Michael Dirda is a member of The Baker Street Irregulars—the most famous and romantic of all Sherlockian groups. Combining memoir and appreciation, On Conan Doyle is a highly engaging personal introduction to Holmes's creator, as well as a rare insider’s account of the curiously delightful activities and playful scholarship of The Baker Street Irregulars.

    On Conan Doyle is a much-needed celebration of Arthur Conan Doyle’s genius for every kind of storytelling.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPrinceton University Press
    Release dateOct 10, 2011
    ISBN9781400839490
    On Conan Doyle: Or, The Whole Art of Storytelling
    Author

    Michael Dirda

    Michael Dirda, a longtime staff writer for The Washington Post Book World, received the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for criticism. A popular lecturer and commencement speaker, he lives with his family in Silver Spring, Maryland.

    Read more from Michael Dirda

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    Reviews for On Conan Doyle

    4/5

    49 ratings7 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Anyone that agrees with Michael Dirda's statement "This is in truth why one reads: for delight, for excitement" will certainly enjoy this tribute to Conan Doyle. The lifelong fan and Pulitzer-prize winning critic introduces readers to the wide range of Conan Doyle's writing which goes beyond the well known detective mystery to encompass horror, science fiction, romance, realism, historical fiction, spiritualism and memoir writings. All too often even mutifaceted writers are remembered for only one or two books. My one complaint would be the large section devoted to The Baker Street Irregulars and Dirda's involvement therein which rather centered the attention on Dirda.
    • 5/5
      This wonderful little book is dedicated to that wonderful group of Sherlock Holmes fans, The Baker Street Irregulars. I read it a couple of years ago and was recently moved to pick it up again. It is such a powerful testament to the power and joy of reading and collecting books. It is above all, a love letter to Holmes and Watson. If by the oddest of circumstances you have not read this book, correct your mistake at once!
    • 5/5
      Dirda's writing is delightful. This book takes you back to your youth and the thrill of the first time you read Sherlock Holmes.
    • 4/5
      A short excellent book that conveys Michael Dirda's delight in reading, provides a good reading of the Sherlock Holmes canon, an interesting introduction to the other works of Conan Doyle (I've only read The Lost World), and a fascinating inside account of the Baker Street Irregulars, the American association of Sherlockians. It's infectious.
    • 4/5
      A short excellent book that conveys Michael Dirda's delight in reading, provides a good reading of the Sherlock Holmes canon, an interesting introduction to the other works of Conan Doyle (I've only read The Lost World), and a fascinating inside account of the Baker Street Irregulars, the American association of Sherlockians. It's infectious.
    • 5/5
      Michael Dirda’s books have a charm consisting of boyish enthusiasm combined with sophisticated knowledge about books and literature. This slim volume is subtitled The Whole Art of Storytelling, and is an unabashed homage to the creator of Sherlock Holmes. The majority of the book is devoted to Holmes—the stories and novels, his enduring popularity, and the amazing influence he’s had on fiction, movies, and telelvision. A considerable and really funny section concerns the Baker Street Irregulars, a select group of prominent fans of Holmes.But Dirda doesn’t stop there. He includes plenty of information about Doyle’s fascinating life and discusses his other works, both fiction and nonfiction. He doesn’t shy away from Doyle’s strange and intense interest in spiritualism, either.Overall this a well-rounded picture of Doyle, his work, and his influence, his old-fashioned English stoicism, and of course his wonderful ability to spin an interesting storyWell worth your time and effort if you’re interested inHolmes, Doyle, or late Victorian and Edwardian Literature and culture.
    • 5/5
      Michael Dirda’s books have a charm consisting of boyish enthusiasm combined with sophisticated knowledge about books and literature. This slim volume is subtitled The Whole Art of Storytelling, and is an unabashed homage to the creator of Sherlock Holmes.

      The majority of the book is devoted to Holmes—the stories and novels, his enduring popularity, and the amazing influence he’s had on fiction, movies, and telelvision. A considerable and really funny section concerns the Baker Street Irregulars, a select group of prominent fans of Holmes.

      But Dirda doesn’t stop there. He includes plenty of information about Doyle’s fascinating life and discusses his other works, both fiction and nonfiction. He doesn’t shy away from Doyle’s strange and intense interest in spiritualism, either.

      Overall this a well-rounded picture of Doyle, his work, and his influence, his old-fashioned English stoicism, and of course his wonderful ability to spin an interesting story

      Well worth your time and effort if you’re interested inHolmes, Doyle, or late Victorian and Edwardian Literature and culture.

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    On Conan Doyle - Michael Dirda

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